Man accused of killing Indian student Sharat Koppu in Kansas gunned down, says US authority

United State authorities on Monday said that a suspect who was accused of 25-year-old Indian student Sharath Koppu in Kansas City has been gunned down in a gunfight with the police. It left three officers injured.

Koppu, who was working in the US state of Missouri, was shot dead on July 6 during a suspected attempted robbery.

Day after the killing, the homicide detectives had released the surveillance video of a possible suspect. After coming in a few tips, the police had identified the man.
According to reports, the authority was hunting the man all week.

“This is the first time we laid eyes on him,” Knasas City Police Chie Rick Smith was quoted as saying.

“That's when the engagement took place,” said Smith pointing to when two undercover detectives followed a car the man was riding.

According to police, the man escaped along with a person in a vehicle after shooting the two undercover officers. The police found out the other person with the vehicle.

Expressing their satisfaction over the police action, The Indian Association of Kansas City in a statement said “We are happy to hear that the suspect was caught and justice has been served to Koppu. On the same lines, we are equally disheartened hearing about the three officers who were shot in pursuit. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for a speedy recovery.”

Koppu, who was a software engineer, went to the US to pursue his master’s degree.

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